Don't Fade Away
by Amberdiamondswords
Summary: Ratchet has a nightmare about Clank disappearing after he alters the timeline to bring back the Lombax race. Hearing this makes Clank think about his unspoken future plans, and whether he should go to the Great Clock or stay with Ratchet when he finds the Lombaxes.
**Weekly Oneshot #17: Don't Fade Away**

Ratchet sat on the edge of the silver building, his legs dangling over the edge, a smile plastered onto his face. A small wind blew through the town, making his and the many other large ears wave gracefully. He took a quick whiff of the air and sighed happily. That was what the smell of a Lombax city was like. And he loved it. It reminded him that he had finally done it; he had finally found and joined the Lombax society.

Clank had woken him up that morning and told him to get in the ship so they could go to Fastoon because there was apparently something there that he had to see. Curious, Ratchet agreed and took them both to the abandoned Lombax planet, only to see that it wasn't abandoned anymore. The place was entirely populated by Lombaxes, and there were shimmering buildings everywhere, showing that it was a very prosperous society. It took Ratchet a few moments to grasp what was going on before he landed. And when he did, he showed himself to the other Lombaxes. And Ratchet, being a Lombax, was of gladly accepted among his kind. He had already made many friends and got to see the many inventions of his race. The whole day seemed like a dream come true for him. So much so that he didn't even bother asking Clank how it was possible that it was happening. Speaking of which, Clank stayed mostly silent throughout the whole day, only asking minor occasional questions for the Lombaxes. Ratchet had hardly noticed, though, because he was having too much fun being with his people.

When night came, one of his new friends directed him to an apartment building that he could stay at. After spending a few minutes sprawled out on his bed and talking about how amazing the Lombax race and Fastoon was, he decided that he wanted a bit of air, so he went up to the roof. The Lombax city was just amazing at night as it was during the day. The blue and orange lights reflected off of the shiny buildings, making the whole place appear as a gentle light show that could dazzle the most stubborn of people. Ratchet could stay up on the roof all night, just so he could watch it. However, he was distracted by the sound of metal footsteps. His ears twitched and he looked over his shoulder, only so see his friend, Clank. Ratchet hoisted his legs over the edge of the building and spun on his rear in order to turn to him. The smile was still on his face as he talked.

"Clank, isn't this place amazing? The technology here is so awesome! I could stay here for the rest of my life!" Ratchet said with enthusiasm.

Clank nodded weakly and looked at his friend, speaking with an unexpectedly serious tone, "Ratchet, I need to ask you something...do you like being among your people?"

"Well, yeah. I mean...it's my race. I've been looking for my race for a long time. And I love being apart of it."

"That is good...that is very good..."

Ratchet raised an eyebrow as his smile faded into a concerned frown. "Clank, is something wrong?"

"Ratchet," Clank went on, ignoring Ratchet's question. "I am happy that you are now among your kind. And I am happy that you are enjoying being apart of their society. That is exactly what I wanted the outcome to be."

"Ou-Outcome? Clank, what are you talking about?" The Lombax asked, scooting closer to the robot. Clank was acting weird, and he didn't like it very much. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had ignored the robot all day. Clank might have wanted a bit of attention. So he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Look, I know that I made a lot of friends today, but you're always gonna be my best pal. No Lombax can replace you."

"That is not it, Ratchet," Clank said, making Ratchet's ears perk up in confusion. The small robot let out a small sigh and looked up at his friend. "I never told you how the Lombaxes came back to Fastoon."

"No, I just thought that uh...well uhh...actually...I didn't really think about it at all."

"Well, I believe that it is time to tell you the truth before it is too late. Ratchet, while you were sleeping, I used the Great Clock to open a rift in time and save the Lombaxes."

"You what?" The Lombax asked with wide eyes. Clank used the Great Clock improperly just to save the Lombax race. He wanted to be proud of his friend, but knowing that Clank had broken the Clock's biggest rule was too shocking in order for pride to fit in. He shook his head and looked at Clank, "Why would you do that? You know that your father's rule says that-"

"I thought that you would have been happier with the Lombaxes. So that is why I went back and saved them."

"Well...I mean, I guess what you didn't do was that bad. I mean, now you and I can observe what the Lombaxes are like. We'll have a lot of fun!"

"No, we will not."

"What? What do you..."

"You see, by saving the Lombaxes, the timeline that we were living on has now been erased. The universe is adjusting to the new timeline, and it is only a short time until it catches up with us. That is why, in a few short moments, I will disappear from this place, and you will forget about me," Clank said, hanging his head a bit. Ratchet's eyes grew wider as he gasped. Clank was going to disappear? and he was going to forget about him? No way! He grasped both of Clank's shoulders hard as he shook his head.

"What?! No! No, I don't want that to happen! I don't want you to disappear, Clank!"

"It is too late, Ratchet..." Clank's entire being then became slightly translucent and small waves of blue energy surrounded him. It was starting.

Ratchet shook his head more as his hands slipped through Clank's torso. Tears began forming in his eyes, "No! Clank! Don't go! Please!"

Clank smiled a little and he looked up at his friend, "The pain will not last for too long. The moment that I disappear, you will forget about me. And then you can live happily among the Lombaxes like you have always wanted to. I was happy to be of assistance in making your dream come true...even though I had to sacrifice something along the way."

"I don't want my dream to come true! Not like this!" Ratchet cried, grabbing his friend. However, Clank's body just phased through his arms, making the Lombax frustrated. "I don't want to forget you! I don't want you to disappear! Please, Clank, don't leave me! I can't live without you!"

Clank's expression shifted slightly and he raised his disappearing hand, placing it on Ratchet's arm. "Yes...you can...goodbye..."

Clank closed his eyes as his body became more and more translucent. He could feel his own existence in the timeline slipping away more and more until, eventually, he faded away, making Ratchet's gasp in shock. He sat up and looked at his arms, noticing that Clank was no longer in them. He also saw the blue waves of energy disappearing into nothing. Tears slid down his face and into the ground. He was gone...he was gone forever...w-wait...who was gone, though? Why exactly was he crying again? Did something happen to him that was bad?

Nothing had happened, right?

No one had been there with him, right?

There was nothing to be upset about...right?

...Right...

...

...

...

...

...

"Ratchet? Ratchet, wake up! Ratchet, you must wake up right now!"

Wh...what? Who is that...?

"Ratchet, please, wake up! You are beginning to scare me! Ratchet!"

...!

Ratchet sprung up in his bed, only to startle himself by gasping several times and coughing. He looked down and saw that his white shirt was soaked with sweat, as was his fur. Even his ear fur had sweat in it, making them droop. The Lombax took a quick look around and saw that he was in his usual apartment bedroom and not on top of a Lombax made building in a Lombax city. He calmed down a bit and slowed his breathing after finally realizing what was going on: he had just been dreaming that whole event. He had been dreaming about going to a Lombax city, making new friends and what happened on the...rooftop...

"Ratchet? Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked.

Ratchet's head quickly looked to his left and down and was nearly blinded by two bright green eyes shining right in his face. That usually happened when Clank was concerned or panicked: his eyes would shine brighter than usual. The robot gently placed a hand on his friend and was about to ask once again if he was alright (Ratchet's lack of answers made him even more worried), but, when he did, the Lombax suddenly grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. A small stream of tears flowed down his face, wetting his fur even further. Several of the tears dripped down off of his face and splatted on Clank's metal, making the robot give a sad face. He placed his metal hands on Ratchet's shoulders and said with a sympathy filled voice.

"Another one?"

Ratchet kept his eyes screwed shut as he nodded. He sniffled as he spoke with a shaky voice, "You altered time to save the Lombaxes...and that erased our timeline...(sniffle) the timeline that we knew each other in...you disappeared right in front of my and...(sniff) and I forgot about you..."

"None of that was real, Ratchet," Clank said. "I have not disappeared, and you still remember me."

"I know, but...b-but...i-i-it..." Ratchet broke down and hugged Clank even tighter. Clank would have wrapped his arms around the Lombax as well, but he was in such a tight hug what he couldn't move his arms. So his hands remained on his friend's shoulders. But he did place his head on Ratchet's chest; it was better than nothing.

Ratchet often had nightmares, especially after the death of general Azimuth. Actually, both of them seem to. But Clank rarely alerted Ratchet whenever he had a nightmare, mostly because they were never severe enough to be worth waking Ratchet up and having him talk to him about it. Doing that just seemed rude. The only time when Clank really needed Ratchet was when he had nightmares about the incident at the Great Clock. It was then that he needed to reassure himself that Ratchet was still alive and well. Ratchet himself, on the other hand, was a bit more helpless when it came to his nightmares. Mostly because he had lived through several of them in real life. So his dreams were basically reminders of what have or could happen in real life. However, whenever he woke up, Clank would always be there for him, no matter what the nightmare was about. Whether it was about a friend being killed, a scary villain, or an event that had happened in real life, the small robot would always be there to assure him that everything was alright.

However, this dream was a bit different. So much so that Clank took some time to ponder about it. Ratchet had dreamed about the robot fading away because he had altered the timeline to make it so the Lombaxes were still living on Fastoon. This made Clank think because it was similar to something that may or may not happen in the future. At the Great Clock, he had told the Orvus hologram that once Ratchet found the Lombaxes, he would return to the clock and become Senior Caretaker full-time. It wasn't something that the was looking forward to. Clank had been with Ratchet for about fourteen years at this point, and the thought of the two splitting up and going towards different destinies...it was enough to make the robot's chest hurt. Maybe...maybe it was time to reconsider his future plans. Because, by the look and sound of it, Ratchet didn't want him to go away, even after finding the Lombaxes. Clank guessed that the final decision would have to be made of they managed to find the Lombaxes. Only time would tell when that would happen though. But, when it did, he would have to be ready, and he had to take Ratchet's friendship into consideration.

"Cl-Clank..." Ratchet suddenly said with a sniffle, making the robot look up at him. "Don't...don't leave...don't fade away...please..."

Clank stared at the Lombax for several seconds, remembering what he had just told himself, and shook his head. Then he placed his head back on Ratchet's chest. "I will not fade away Ratchet."

The Lombax sniffled again, several tears dripping off of his face, "Promise?"

"I..." Clank paused for a moment. Then he gave a small nod. "I promise."

Ratchet seemed to calm down after that promise, because his sniffling seized after a few minutes, and he laid back down. But he still kept Clank in his tight embrace as he slowly drifted back into sleep. Soon, Clank heard faint snoring coming from his friend. A sad look came onto his face as he laid his head down on Ratchet's pillow. But it soon turned into a mixture between happy and pity, and he looked up at his friend. Now he had to stay with the foolish Lombax; he had promised him after all.

* * *

 **Boy, it's been awhile since I've done one of these, huh? Guess I kinda ran out of ideas for awhile. But, I have good news! With the movie and PS4 game coming out, and with all the gameplay and movie clips that we've been shown, I'll have a chance to expand on a concept or idea from one of them through a fanfiction. Also, I kinda read the movie novel and I have, like, one million ideas, soooo...yeah. (i will try to avoid spoilers the best that I can).**

 **But not all of them will be about something that happened during the movie/PS4 game. For example: this fanfic...this depressing ass fanfic! I ain't even gonna comment on it. I'm just gonna let the sadness sink in.**

 **And now, for some news! Insomniac Games dude James Stevenson reported that there will be a brand new movie trailer sometime this week! Or maybe it was a PS4 trailer...? I have no idea which one, but get hyped anyway!**

 **Also, March 19th marks the day that my first Ratchet and Clank fanfiction, Violet Eyes, was first published! Circuit is going to be officially one year old...even though she's eight in the fanfic! (Nine in From Dreams to Nightmares). So, as celebration, I will be posting some sort of Circuit oneshot, along with a big story announcement! It's gonna be awesome! And I can't help but notice that I've used a ton of exclamation points in these Author's Notes! IT's probably a good thing, because you probably need a distraction after reading this depressing fanfic!**

 **Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary little dog!**

 **...Oh wait, that's Deviantart! My bad. (Ya see what I did there, TheWhiteGuardian?)**

 **Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!**

 **This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, pledger to Tobuscus, signing off!**


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